Keefe Disability Law - March/April 2023

Add Organization to Your Spring-Cleaning List! 4 TIPS TO KEEP YOUR HOUSE TIDY

Use an old disinfecting wipes container to store your plastic bags. If you like to reuse plastic shopping bags at home, finding a way to store them can be a pain. Next time you run out of Clorox Wipes (or another generic equivalent), rinse the inside of the container with water and store your plastic bags there. Then with the container’s built-in feeding lid, you’ll be able to pull the bags out one by one as you need them. Label messy cords with tape. As working from home and numerous consumer electronics (shut up, Alexa!) become more prevalent in our lives, the cords connecting these devices can become tangled and hard to differentiate. By wrapping a piece of painter’s or washi tape around a cord, you can create a tag to write what that cord is attached to. So, no more guessing which cords you’re unplugging!

It’s March — the month of spring-cleaning! While many often think of scrubbing the windows or washing the floors, spring is the perfect time to reorganize your house into a more efficient space. And no, you don’t need fancy storage furniture or shiny color-coded bins to get your home in order. There are many small things you can do just by using clever tricks and throwaway household items. So, try these organization hacks to tidy your home this month and beyond. Keep your matching bed sets together by using a pillowcase to store them. Organize your linen closet by slipping the flat and fitted sheets into one of their respective matching pillowcases (fold the other pillowcase in there as well!). This way, you’ll never have to hunt for the matching sheets again!

Add some chalkboard paint to your jars.

Sometimes, we have no idea what’s inside the jars in our pantry. Maybe it’s flour, or maybe it’s powdered sugar. Sometimes, it can be neither! To solve this, you can buy a little jar of chalkboard paint at your nearest craft store and paint squares on your jars (or other unlabeled containers around the house) to write with chalk what’s inside! The best part is you can erase these labels and change them based on the jar’s contents. These hacks will help you give your spring- cleaning a major boost by keeping your home neat and tidy for the rest of the year!

The Social Security Administration’s 5-Step Evaluation Process

3. Is your disability on either of the SSA’s lists of disabling conditions? The SSA has two lists of conditions it considers disabling — one for children and one for adults. The adult list breaks conditions into 14 high- level categories according to the body system. If your specific condition is not listed, then the DDS will look to see if it is “equal” to one of the disabling conditions on the list. 4. Can you do the same work you’ve done in the past? The DDS will look to see if you can do the same work you have done in the past, despite your disability. If you can, they will deny your claim. 5. Are you able to do any other type of work? So, you can’t perform your current work, but can you perform ANY other work? That’s what they will look at next. The DDS will review your age, education, physical/mental condition, skills, and work experience to determine what other work you can perform. They will deny your claim if they find you can switch jobs and work.

When you file your Social Security claim, the Social Security Administration will put it through a five-step evaluation process to determine if you are disabled, establish the extent of your disability, and see whether you are eligible for disability payments through the SSA. This evaluation is made by an examiner along with the Disability Determination Services department (DDS) and a medical team that reviews each case file. 1. Are you working? We call it “working,” and the SSA calls it “engaging in substantial gainful activity” or SGA. The SSA is looking to see if you worked and earned more than $1,470 monthly on a sustained basis ($2,460 if you are blind). If so, that’s enough to likely disqualify you from receiving Social Security Disability payments. 2. Is your condition considered severe by the SSA? Your condition must be “severe” enough to interfere with your ability to perform the most basic work activities required in any job. This can include seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, sitting, reaching, responding to supervisors, etc. If your disability is considered “severe” under their regulations, they will move to Step 3.

Remember that making it to Step 5 does not guarantee that your claim will be approved. Give us a call today if you need help filing your claim.

• 1-877-9-DISABLED (877-934-7225) • KeefeLaw.com

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